Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup
A beauty blog blooming with fresh makeup reviews, swatches and beauty tips from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict
I have a new post up over at the Ladies’ Home Journal beauty blog, Gloss Daily.
5 Tips to Step Up Your Eye Makeup Game
If you have a second, pop on by, and if you like it, please Tweet, Like and/or leave a comment. 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Snow globes.
You know snow globes?
That’s what Guerlain’s new $71 Météorites Perles Les Ors Primer reminds me of — a snow globe. And meteoric pearls.
Sometimes I just tip the bottle up and down, back and forth, to watch the shimmery pink, white and gold highlighting beads slink through the clear gel…
Fascinating.
Guerlain’s good about sumptuous details and design, aren’t they? I think it’s just neat, like makeup eye candy. Amazingly to me, the fragile little beads don’t break down in the gel. I guess they’re just waiting to be 
loved.
The limited edition face primer bursts through Earth’s atmosphere with the Terra Ora collection next month. They’re designed to extend the wear time of face makeup when worn underneath it (handy in hot weather!), or to be worn alone on bare skin to impart a pinkish golden iridescence while making pores appear to softly fade away into the background…
The bottle comes with a pump. Pressing it magically mixes the pearls with the clear base, and out comes an oil-controlling shimmery pinkish golden gel.
I think it works okay as a primer — maybe as a “diet primer” or “primer light.” It feels nice and light on my skin, which I like, but it is awfully expensive.
You can definitely find other primers that soften the appearance of your pores and control oil more effectively for less, and I feel like it’s almost a shame to cover its iridescent pink and gold with foundation…
I prefer to use Météorites Perles Les Ors more to spotlight bare skin. The primer smooths and softens my pores and fine lines just enough — just shy of mannequin skin — and the pink and golden tones look breathtaking with just the faintest bit of bronzer dusted on top.
Who’s feeling blue?
Chanel’s Bel-Argus Le Vernis Nail Colour, $27. From the new L’Été Papillon de Chanel collection for summer 2013. Available now at Chanel counters, boutiques and online.
Be still, my beating heart! I feel like Azuré is the teal that I’ve been dreaming about for years.
Chanel’s Azuré Le Vernis Nail Colour ($27), from the new L’Été Papillon de Chanel Papillon de Chanel collection for summer 2013. Available now at Chanel counters, boutiques and online.
“May your hair reach the highest of heights, may your heart be filled with love and laughter, and may your eyes remain richly rimmed with black liner, forever and eternity.”
I’m seriously thinking about making that my new standard goodbye…like a makeup nerd’s version of “live long and prosper.”
Way better than a boring old “see ya!” or “peace out,” right? 🙂
Speaking for myself, I’d love to get a greeting like that. I mean, black liner well wishes? I’ll take that.
Black liner’s one of those things that I hope never goes out of style. If it’s good enough for cats and Cleopatra, then hell! — it’s good enough for me. And it deserves a spot in my makeup bag.
These days, Guerlain’s new deep, rich matte black $37 Khol Me Kajal pencil in Noir Volcanique (“Black Volcano”), from the brand’s Terra Ora summer collection, has been keeping me company, both as a liner and an eye shadow (it doubles as both).
The crayon-shaped tip is fixed — doesn’t twist up or down — so you just use it down to a nub.
You probably could try sharpening the tip, but I wouldn’t recommend it (I actually tried and mangled the tip).
The pencil formula itself feels hard to me, and yet, surprisingly, the liner glides along my skin, almost like a gel.
And the ref counts, “…seven…eight…nine…10!” Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding!
That’s it, folks. It’s over. The new $69 Guerlain Terra Nerolia is a knockout!
But seriously, in what world is $69 reasonable for a bronzer? My accountant mother certainly wouldn’t approve. She likes to walk places because of the stray coins she finds along the way (love you, Mom!).
Of course, she isn’t obsessed with bronzer, either, so there’s also that…
To even consider Guerlain’s new Terra Nerolia, you should probably love bronzer (like, you wear it every single day and feel naked without it) and have a debilitating weakness for luxe brands.
Because sh*t’s really, really expensive…so you’re going to want to love it on every single level.
And that’s exactly what Guerlain wants.
They started with the presentation and Terra Nerolia’s sunburst pattern. The first time I opened the over-sized 0.67-ounce pan and saw that gold, peach and bronze, I thought two words: Ancient Mayans.
Then I caught a whiff of the tiare flower scent and thought, “Hawaiian vacation.” 🙂
What they don’t tell you — and they should! — at the makeup counter the day you pick up that first burnished pan is that bronzer will ruin you for life.
They could post a sign or offer a quick verbal warning, at least. A quick aside before they let you swipe that deliciously sun-kissed powder on your skin, something akin to, “I must warn you now, and this is a federal regulation, from this day forward, you won’t feel quite right unless you’re wearing bronzer.”
Seriously, I can’t even remember the last time I left the house without bronzer.
And what about options?? Imagine only having one bronzer to choose from…
Banish the thought.
I want options, options, options! — like the new $72 (GASP!) limited edition Terra Ora face and body bronzer from Guerlain.
As you can probably tell, I’ve got a thang for bronzer, and if you do too, you probably already know about Guerlain’s reputation for producing pricey, well-regarded luxury bronzers.
There’s no getting around it: their stuff costs an arm and a leg. Good thing it’s usually great.
Every single Guerlain bronzer I’ve ever tried has melted into my skin like butter on warm popcorn and never, ever looks heavy, muddy or forced.
Terra Ora follows the lead set by its bronzed Guerlain predecessors. When I swirl its mix of matte tan beige and pearly white gold together and dust that on my face, neck and decollete, I think I definitely do look more like the girl next door than the housemates on the Jersey Shore.
Most of all, I love this bronzer’s “secret shimmer.”
You know how some Chanel polishes look like basic creams, but then when you get them in direct sunlight, they sparkle, seemingly out of nowhere? Terra Ora does that, too.
Lancome’s Aquatic Essence Color Design Palette ($49.50) from the new Aquatic Summer collection, available now at Lancome counters and online.
What do you think of the colors?
